Completion time: 11:54:30

To say that Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch, would be the biggest understatement in gaming. It could have benefited from another two years of gestation before being delivered to the gaming masses. While there were plenty of gameplay blemishes and bugs to be found (mostly pertaining to the console experience), the main storyline was still fascinating in its own right, and some of the side story arc missions were enjoyable to play through and watch unfold. The actual gameplay did leave a lot to be desired, with RPG elements that felt 1/10th baked, but the stories Cyberpunk 2077 told were worthwhile.

Fast forward almost three years later and CD Projekt Red have shored up many of the games technical shortcomings (and if you’re a PC player, you watched some of the most strikingly beautiful gaming vistas ever seen being worked on), as well as a change up of many of the RPG and leveling aspects of the journey, just in time for their first, and sadly only, expansion to the base game, Phantom Liberty. I say sadly because CD Projekt Red just about completed a monumental 180 from their problem saddled launch and sent players off with one of, if not the best expansion/DLC storylines ever, with nothing new beyond this to come.

CDPR hardly gives you a time to catch your breath throughout, and in those regards, it made following along that much more exhilarating. It took a hair under 12 hours to complete the main storyline, with only three side missions completed, since they were required towards the midway point. Do I feel bad that I missed out on the stories from the side missions? Not entirely. Phantom Liberty‘s main story is so damn good, that it had me wanting to follow through without pause. Every new development was fascinating, every twist worth being pulled through. The performances across the board were top shelf work, even if half the time Idris Elba sounded like he was constipated.

The set pieces were outstanding as well. The firefights all felt more frenetic than the base game, with some exciting moment peppered throughout. One of the major fights early on was an insane battle that had me at the edge of my seat the entire time. Everything in general that Phantom Liberty did, elicited more oh’s and ah’s, and more memorable moments than anything I encountered on the main game (which I’ve only put 42 hours into). Making certain decisions in the end were gut wrenching, as I wanted to pick each option each time, but there was no way to appease every situation. The ending I got was brutal, but not with negative connotations to it; the final decision(s) I made, knowing what I knew, were still painful, but I was satisfied with how it wrapped up.

Phantom Liberty would easily have gotten a 10 from me if it weren’t for two major hangups – the weaponry and the RPG elements. Before the big update to the base game, weapons felt like they had a bit more of an identity between them, even the common fodders like the Lexington and such. Now though? It all feels samey, with little true identity between them. One sub machine gun is interchangeable with another. The “exotic”, or more actual unique weapons were few and far between. What I did try was fine, but again nothing that felt like it had its own true identity. Finally the RPG aspects were nothing substantial. It wasn’t that way in 1.0, and in the new gameplay revisions, while plenty has changed between gear, specs and stats, there was never a moment where I was frothing at the mouth, eager to pause and look through what I can level up. I mostly just focused on better hacking and quicker quickhack regen when I remembered to level up, and went from there. The actual gameplay works all-around, but it’s nothing of note really.

Regardless, CD Projekt Red has finally managed to do fans right after their abhorrent launch in December 2020. For at least Phantom Liberty, CDPR’s Cyberpunk 2077 swansong is a booming bellow of beauty. Even with a little under twelve hours of playtime on the main storyline, it manages to tick every box when it comes to a memorable escapade that will leave an indelible mark for the foreseeable future. Each character felt fleshed out, each decision (especially in the third act) was grueling, but for all the right reasons. It’s a masterclass of storytelling and character development that will make you depressed that this is it for CDPR and Cyberpunk 2077.

But oh, oh what a sendoff they’ve given players.

Rating: 9